Cooking appliances are known in the art that combine a conventional toaster with an electrical cooker. In U.S. published patent application No. 2006/0191891 A1 of Ely et al., dated Aug. 31, 2006, and U.S. design Pat. No. D525,472S of Beesley et al., dated Jul. 25, 2006, there is shown one such apparatus in which the toaster is combined with a steam cooker for steam cooking eggs or the like. In this patent literature, such an appliance is shown that has, in addition to the toaster heating element, a separate heating element for the cooker. In the single food-heating location there is provided a pan for water used to produce steam. A cup is situated in the food-heating location above the water-containing pan, and a perforated tray to steam-cook an egg or cooking breakfast meat, for example, sits above the cup.
A Japanese patent JP 55151287, published Nov. 25, 1980 shows a combination toaster, coffee maker and egg boiling unit gathered together on a single base. The base contains timing provisions to cause the toaster coffee maker and egg cooker to produce a meal with all three components finishing on time. A full-size toaster sits on the base as does the coffeemaker with its own hot plate as well as the egg cooking unit. The three separate cooking appliances are not unified within a single housing and the overall combination is not particularly compact.
A Hong Kong design registration number 0010171.3, dated Feb. 14, 2000 appears to combine a toaster oven with a coffeemaker. There does not appear to be several food cooking locations in addition to a conventional toaster.
A German utility model number DE29718161U, dated Feb. 5, 1998 shows side-by-side a hot-water cooker (which may also be a coffee or tea maker) a toaster, and an egg cooker on a single tray-like base. The three appliances are not combined into a single, unified unit, nor does the combination appear particularly compact.
There is need for a compact, attractive and unified toaster and cooker that has, in addition to conventional toaster, a cooker with multiple cooking locations served by a common electrical heating element.